Job Title:
Personalised Learning Officer-Behaviour and Attendance / Directorate:
People
Post Number: / Division:
Education
Grade: 7 / Business Unit/Section:
Engagement and Inclusion
Overall Purpose of Job:
Assists in the provision of personalised learning programmes for vulnerable children and young people, and strategies to tackle disaffection and potential disengagement in pupils.
Monitors children and young people in out of school provision, intervenes as required to ensure that children and young people attend their identified provision regularly and receive appropriate education to meet their needs.
Undertakes a comprehensive assessment of the children’s and (family) families’ social, emotional and educational needs within local authority policy, government guidelines and legislation, in line with the LSCB’s procedures for early help assessment.
Main Responsibilities:
1. / Works in partnership with schools, services and providers in accordance with national legislation, guidance and LA policy with emphasis on raising achievement, raising aspirations, personalised learning, tackling disaffection and use of out of school learning.
2. / To advise schools in respect of effective approaches to tackling disaffection in school pupils and new qualification frameworks for accrediting learning and to help shape the nature of out of school learning provision, in response to local authority policies, legislation and guidance, particularly with respect to the LSCB’s early help agenda.
3. / To monitor and ensure the quality, safety and best value of out of school learning provision; including fair and transparent referral, admissions, support, tracking and accreditation systems for pupils.
4. / Provides reports and relevant information for the benefit of the LA and other agencies.
5. / To monitor and contribute to arrangements that ensure all children have access to appropriate education provision and to contribute to the pupil tracking initiatives.
6. / To establish, develop and maintain relationships with school based staff in order to examine joint issues experienced by children, which may prevent them from making the most of their educational opportunities and achieving their full potential.
7. / To take responsibility for referring appropriate cases to social care in accordance with agreed procedures. Advises and supports clients in individual cases as appropriate and in accordance with the Children Act 1989, the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and the Anti Social Behaviour Act 2003.
8. / Maintains an understanding of current national legislation, policies, educational issues and developments.
9. / Arranges and attends all multi-agency meetings as required, in respect of allocated casework. Initiates recommendations resulting from these meetings.
10. / Maintains accurate, up to date and relevant documentation and electronic records on the capita system.
11. / To undertake an assessment of the child and the family’s needs in accordance with the LSCB early help process, formulate outcome focussed plans when required and act as lead professional as necessary.
12. / Develops links and partnerships between schools, out of school learning and qualification providers.
13. / To facilitate meetings with parents/carers and young people to review progress and to provide advice and support to parents/carers to engage them in activities that highlight their parental responsibilities and advice schools on the implementation of the policy.
14. / Develop links with local, statutory, voluntary and private agencies delivering services to children and families, working with these agencies to agree actions.
15. / Raises the profile of attendance within the school and community by working to develop procedures and initiatives aimed at raising attendance.
Knowledge, Skill and Experience Required:
Relevant degree, diploma or professional qualification or equivalent.
An understanding of relevant legislation and detailed knowledge of policies and key issues related to the personalised learning agenda, engaging disaffected learners and the every child matters agenda.
Knowledge of the legal and practice framework relating to children and education.
An awareness of the range of external agencies involved in the support of children
Knowledge of current Child Protection legislation and procedures
Negotiation and assessment skills
Basic counselling and advocacy skills
Good communication skills
Good interpersonal skills
Knowledge of information technology systems
Knowledge of data protection and human rights legislation and guidance
Ability to plan, prioritise and complete own workload to meet pre-determined target dates
Report writing and the presentation of information to targeted audiences
Creativity and Innovation:
Required to be highly innovative in methods of engaging children, parents/carers and staff members in ensuring satisfactory attendance on personalised learning programmes and out of school provision.
Work with schools and LA colleagues towards the design of personalised learning programmes for children in North Lincolnshire.
Contributes to the development of procedures to identify and target children at risk of disengaging from learning and to design and implement effective early intervention strategies.
React and respond quickly and appropriately to any intervention required for excluded children or to prevent children being excluded from education.
Decision Making:
  • Plan and manage own workload to achieve agreed priorities.
  • Decisions regarding the effectiveness of provision, incorporating the Early Help agenda in keeping children safe and promoting welfare.
  • Decisions that will affect young people and parents reactions, and service user satisfaction and complaints.
  • How to evaluate feedback to accurately determine and inform the manager of ways in which the service can be developed.

Contacts and Relationships:
  • Regular contact with colleagues within personalised learning, schools and other alternative provision providers.
  • Daily contact with young people excluded and receiving personalised learning programmes
  • Daily contact with young people and families; providing information and advising on support and intervention
  • Regular contact with Head Teachers and School Staff, also with colleagues in Youth Offending Service, Social Care,
  • Occasional contact with Legal Section, Housing Services, Humberside Police, Health Services
  • Regular meetings with the line manager
  • Daily contact and meetings with colleagues within the Education Division, parents, children and young people
  • Frequent meetings and liaison with providers of out of school learning
  • Community and voluntary sector organisations
  • Other local authorities
The above list is not exhaustive
Responsibility for Resources: (to include approximate value, sole or shared responsibility and for what percentage of their working hours away from their designated base)
Mobile Phone
Laptop(sole responsibility, for use in the office, in schools and at home)
WORK ENVIRONMENT
Work Demands:
The workload varies week to week and the post holder will need to prioritise work to deal with the most important matters. The ability to adapt to change and prioritise workload will be significant in the post
Updating case records daily and meeting deadlines for production of reports as required by manager.
Work can be interrupted as a consequence of the need to respond to case conferences, crisis in schools or with providers and child protection issues.
Physical Demands:
There are no particular physical demands on the post holder.
Working Conditions:

Normal Council working conditions but there will be a need to work in schools and other educational establishments as part of core duties.

Some home working and flexi working as arranged with line manager
Work Context:
The work environment can be unpredictable and challenging.
The post holder may be engaged in difficult and challenging meetings with schools, governors and parents/carers when discussing provision for disadvantaged/disaffected children and young people.
There will be some potential risk of verbal abuse when dealing with members of the public.
Officers can be involved in transporting young people and parents. Whilst risk assessments are carried out, this activity is not risk free.
Mobile phones and/or personal alarms are provided and training/awareness is given on lone working procedures. A policy on reporting at the end if a working day is in place.
Position in Organisation:
Indicate how many staff the post is directly accountable for: 0

Does the postholder manage the posts No

Does the postholder supervise the posts No
Are posts in more than one location? No
Is the supervision/management shared with another post in the structure? No
Please indicate which post(s) ______



Note:

Post holders will be expected to be flexible in undertaking the duties and responsibilities attached to their post and may be asked to perform other duties, which reasonably correspond to the general character of the post and are commensurate with its level of responsibility. This job description is provided for guidance only and does not form part of the contract of employment.

Date of Job Description…………………………….

Date copy sent to Post holder…………………………….

5th May 2015